Dark
by dlz
Summary: AR/MM. Sequel to After Hours. Lois and Clark go to Gotham City. Batman Begins crossover. R
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Dark  
**Author**: Danielle  
**Disclaimer**: I own nothing  
**Summary**: FIC SPOILER. After Hours sequel. Lois and Clark go to Gotham City. Batman Begins crossover.  
**Dedication:** To MadDogLane for beta reading this fanfiction and helping me with my English!  
**Author's Notes**: I don't have much to say for now. People who read the previous fic know that a continuation was inevitable. I hope you like it!

* * *

**CHAPTER 1 **

" Lois Lane!" a tall, dark haired man said as he approached a particular plane which had landed a few minutes before. "That's a name I didn't think I'd hear again anytime soon!"

"I bet you were surprised when I said I'd come" Lois said as she carefully descended the stairs.

"Not that much" the young man said with a little smile on his lips, taking off his dark sunglasses to see her better. "I didn't think you'd stay so far away from me for so long" he continued, kissing her affectionately on the cheek, when he saw someone coming down the steps behind her. "I see you didn't come alone--"

"Oh yeah!" she said, pretending to have forgotten, just to annoy her companion, who didn't seem very comfortable with the entire situation. "Bruce, this is Clark Kent. Clark, this is Bruce Wayne"

Clark and Bruce exchanged a strong handshake and Lois smiled as she observed them.

"Didn't you bring any luggage this time, Miss Lane?" a tall, silver haired man asked.

He was standing next to the limousine a few meters away from them.

Neither Lois nor Clark had noticed him there until that moment.

Surprised, Clark looked at Lois. _This time?_ he thought.

"Alfred Pennyworth!" Lois said with a big smile, while trying to ignore Clark's reaction. "Good to see you!" and she approched him to give a discreet kiss on his wrinkled cheek.

"Good to see you too, Miss Lane" he replied, giving her back a gentle smile.

Clark and Bruce remained very far apart. The tension between the two was tenuous. There was just something about the young Wayne that bothered Clark.

"Don't you have any plans to stay here in town?" Bruce asked still smiling to Lois.

"Oh no, Bruce. It's just a brief visit for a few hours" she answered, looking from Bruce to Alfred.

"It's a pity" Bruce said calmly, looking at Lois and then to Clark. "But we're going to make these few hours count, aren't we?" he added, with a little smile, gesturing for them to enter the limo.

Lois smiled back as she entered the car followed by a distrustful Clark, who looked at Bruce and Alfred, imagining that he was in the biggest trouble of his life.

_And all because Lois. How could she do this to him? _he thought.

"Tell me, Clark... is this your first time in Gotham?" Bruce asked, looking him in the eye, while Alfred drove them to Wayne's mansion.

"Actually, yes" he answered uncomfortably, while Lois kept her eyes on Bruce, whom she hadn't seen in years.

"Take the way that goes through town, Alfred" Bruce instructed the elderly man, looking at him in the mirror. "We can't deprive our visitor of a fast tour through the heart of the city that never stops, can we?" he explained, smiling to Clark and then to Lois, who was seated at his side.

Clark just smiled, indifferent. Then, he realized that Lois hadn't made any ironic or sarcastic commentary since they landed at Gotham Airport. Something still bothered him. Maybe there was more between her and Bruce than he thought.

"What about Princeton?" she asked.

"I decided to take a vacation" he answered, not wanting to talk about it.

"Really?" she asked, smiling.

"Do you study at Princeton?" Clark asked, curious and surprised.

Bruce nodded. "Um. I used to" he said, looking at a concerned Alfred's reflection in the mirror.

"I thought you liked college. The last time we talked you seemed very enthusiastic about all those courses of criminology and applied sciences you were taking" Lois commented.

"And I was... But, you know, I changed my mind" he said, with a small smile, noticing

Alfred's look of censorship in the mirror.

"What are you gonna do now?" Lois asked, trying to change the Princeton subject, which seemed to bother Bruce a lot.

"I don't know" he answered with an enigmatic smile.

"I think I'd better change the subject" she said, understanding that he wasn't interested in talking about himself.

"That's a good idea" he agreed smiling.

It was pretty clear to Clark that Bruce was just another rich young man who didn't know what to do and just wanted to call some attention to himself. Unfortunately, at that moment, he had all of Lois' attention.

Lois smiled back at Bruce.

Clark also smiled when the two looked at him, but he felt totally dislocated. It was pretty obvious that Bruce and Lois had been more than friends. There was much privacy between both of them. And this was bothering him a lot. Clark just didn't know why he was so uncomfortable with that.

"Well, let's talk about you, Lois" Bruce suggested.

She nodded in disagreement. "Oh no... that is definitely a bad idea" she said, smiling at him again.

_Clark__ rolled his eyes. How could she do that? _ Clark though. _They were there to investigate something very serious and Lois was flirting with him! It was just shameless! _

"I don't have much to say" she said.

"Oh... I heard you were banished from Met-U. Is that true?"

"I thought we had agreed to change the subject!" she protested.

Bruce wrinkled his forehead, not satisfied.

"Okay, let's say I'm still checking my options" she answered.

"That doesn't seem to be like you" Bruce implied, and turning to look at Clark, he continued: "You know, Clark, Lois is the kind of person who really knows what she wants. If she let herself be banished, it's because she has something in mind"

Clark smiled without any enthusiasm and glanced back to Lois, who smiled at both of them. He still didn't know what he was doing there and how Chloe convinced him to go on this journey with Lois. _If someone was trying to kill Bruce Wayne, what the hell did Lois think she could do to prevent it? _he wondered.

But there was more to it than that. Clark couldn't stand how Lois was so gentle and sweet with that young and presumptuous billionaire, who sometimes seemed to be like a Lex Luthor of some years earlier.

"Now that I'm sure of." he agreed with Bruce.

Clark took a deep breath and turned toward the window to look at the view. They crossed the Sprang Bridge and he could see the high buildings of Gotham and an elevated train which cut through the city. The buildings were as high as the ones in Metropolis, but they took on a whole different level. Gotham was too dark. It was like there was a dense and dark shadow above the whole city. Clark at first imagined it was because of pollution, but then he realized that it was more. He couldn't stop thinking about the news reports he heard about this city which had one of the highest levels of crime and poverty. It didn't seem a nice place to live in.

**_To be continued..._**

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	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2 **

Clark hadn't said a word since they had arrived at Bruce's mansion. And it wasn't necessary. The entire place spoke for itself.

"It's way bigger than Lex's, isn't it?" Lois whispered into his ear as they were getting out of the limousine.

Although Clark agreed, he didn't say it.

"Just don't worry about the mess" Bruce said, entering in the house after Alfred.

It didn't take more than a second for Lois and Clark to figure out what he was talking about. The place seemed like a mausoleum. All the furniture and the pictures on the walls were covered by white sheets. It was like the place had been abandoned for years.

"I haven't been here a lot since I went to Princeton--" Bruce explained.

Clark looked around, impressed with the mansion's dimensions. It was an amazing place. And at the same time, a sad one.

Lois gave him a gentle smile, and Bruce continued:

"--and since Alfred doesn't receive many visitors, we have this museum aspect!"

While they crossed the big hall in the direction of the other side of the mansion, Clark wondered where Mr and Mrs Wayne could be. Lois had never mentioned anything about them. So, he wondered if they were living in another country. But it was a weird thought considering this was such a big place for just one person to live in.

Suddenly, Lois felt cold and crossed her arms against her chest. But it wasn't cold. In fact, she was shocked that Wayne's mansion wasn't the same one of years before. Unbidden memories came flooding back to her mind...

----------------------------------------------------

_FLASHBACK _

_Lois was six years old. She was wearing a blue dress and matching ribbon in her hair. With her small arms around her knees, she was sitting on the stairs of Wayne's mansion. The entire place was shining. Lights from outside came in from all the windows of the big hall. It was clearly a happy and lovely home. Bruce was seven years old, and he was sitting next to her. _

_"Don't cry Lois" he asked. _

_She turned her face to look at him. Her cheeks were tear-streaked and flushed from crying. _

_Bruce cleaned up her face with a handkerchief that he took out of his pocket. _

_He could understand her sadness. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't know how bad she was hurting. _

_Days before, Lois' mother has passed away. And because she had been very close to Bruce's mom, Sam Lane decided to leave their oldest daughter to stay a few days with the Waynes until his transfer to Europe was concluded. _

_But no matter how hard Bruce tried, nothing in the world could console Lois. _

_Suddenly, Martha and Thomas Wayne arrived from a charity event. _

_When Lois saw they were coming, she immediately stopped crying, because she didn't want anyone else to see her sadness. _

_"Lois, my dear--" Martha said when she and Thomas saw the two kids on the stairs. _

_The gentle couple approached them and while Martha sat next to Lois, Thomas gave her a sad look. Then, he turned to look at Bruce. Proud of his son's good action of trying to make the Lane's young daughter feel better, he smiled. _

_"You don't need to hide your tears, sweetie" Martha said, putting her arms around the little girl. _

_With both hands in his pants' pockets, Thomas stepped closer and took a deep look at Lois:_

_"Don't be afraid, my child" he said, gently. "Everything is gonna be all right" _

_Bruce smiled at his dad and then embraced Lois too. _

_END OF THE FLASHBACK _

----------------------------------------------------

Lois raised her eyes to the stairs where years ago she felt the comfort and love of the Wayne family. Then, she turned to look at Bruce, who simply smiled, knowing exactly what she was thinking about.

"In museums things aren't usually covered by white sheets" she said, in response to his last comment.

Bruce smiled, and he glanced to Alfred, who didn't say anything.

Then, the young Wayne faced Lois again and gave her a little smile. Lois smiled too. And Clark watched them. It was like they shared a secret in common, and the fact that he didn't understand what it could be was irritating him a lot.

"Isn't it a waste of space?" he asked, trying to break "their moment".

Lois and Bruce looked at him, surprised.

Clark saw their reaction, and tried to fix the situation, but Lois was faster:

"He didn't mean to say that, Bruce--"

"It's okay, Lois" Bruce interrupted her, smiling. "He's right"

Then, Bruce turned around to see Alfred, who just gave him a little and concerned smile.

"Well, what do you think about taking a tour of the garden while Alfred prepares a lunch for us?" Bruce suggested.

Lois looked at Clark and they just nodded. It seemed a good a idea. Especially for Clark, who was still so uncomfortable with the entire situation.

Bruce took them to the garden while Alfred went his way to the kitchen. Lois took the opportunity to punch Clark's arm, censuring him for the previous commentary.

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

_Minutes later..._

"Have you seen Rachel?" Lois asked while they walked in the garden.

There was a puddle of water in their path and Bruce gently extended his hand to help Lois cross it.

Clark was a few steps behind them. He watched the scene and rolled his eyes.

"No, I haven't" Bruce answered, still holding Lois' hand, unaware of Clark's attention. "As I told you before, I'm not coming here a lot. I just came because of the hearing"

"Hearing? What hearing?" Lois asked, curious.

"Joe Chill's hearing. He made a deal with the District Attorney" Bruce explained.

"What?"

"They're letting him go" he finally said.

"Oh... I'm sorry" she said, worried about Bruce's feelings.

Clark took a deep breath and wondered if he could ask what was going on or who the hell Joe Chill was, but he decided to wait and see what would happen.

"So, what kind of deal did he make?" Lois asked.

"I don't know" he answered, not interested in the details.

Suddenly, Alfred appeared in the garden and called Bruce showing him the cell phone:

"Master Bruce! Your telephone is ringing!"

"Excuse me, guys," Bruce said, kissing Lois' hand. "I'll be right back" and he walked over to where the butler was.

When Bruce had left, Clark faced Lois. They were finally alone. And the first thing he wanted to ask her was what was going on between her and Bruce.

"Why do I have the strange feeling that this visit is a kind of a romantic revival between you two?" he asked.

"What did you say, Smallville?" she asked, surprised.

"C'mon Lois, I thought we came here to prevent him from a murder attempt that may not even happen now that the Lucchesis were arrested after the anonymous call to the police we made," he said.

"Did you hear what you said?" Lois asked, with crossed arms. "You were in Suicide Slum too. Remember? You heard what our friend Vincent said, didn't you? Someone wants to kill Bruce. This is not a joke--"

Clark took a deep breath. She was right. But something still wasn't.

"I didn't mean to say this isn't serious, Lois" he explained. "I just... I mean, I'm not interested in being in the middle of _this thing_ between you and Bruce, okay?"

Lois laughed.

"What? Did you say _this thing _between me and Bruce?"

"You know what I meant" he said, serious.

"Are you out of your mind, Smallville?" Lois asked, smiling. "If I didn't know you so well, I'd say you're jealous like you were when I met AC months ago"

"Me? Jealous? Over you?"

Lois laughed again.

"Okay. This is ridiculous. Forget it" she said.

"Of course it's ridiculous!" he agreed with a nervous smile.

"That's good. We finally agree about something" Lois grinned.

Clark didn't say anything. He couldn't understand how Lois irritated him. She was the only person in the world who could do that.

"So, what now?" he asked.

"_What now _what?"

Clark rolled his eyes.

"What do you want to do?"

"Well... I don't know" Lois answered.

"WHAT?" Clark asked.

"I can't simply say '_Bruce, someone wants to kill you'_," she explained, indifferent to Clark's impatience. "By the way, he's not prepared for a situation like this one"

Clark wrinkled his forehead while Lois remembered the past with a lost look...

---------------------------------------------------- 

_FLASHBACK_

_Sam Lane had crossed the country with Lois to go to the Waynes funeral. _

_It was a rainy day in Gotham. _

_Next to Alfred and in front of the mansion, the young Bruce was unable to say a word. _

_He couldn't even look into people's eyes. _

_And people couldn't look into his. _

"_Alfred," Sam Lane said, holding Lois' hand. "If you need something... you know you can count on me"_

_The gentle butler smiled and with both hands over the shoulders of a distant and abated Bruce, he said:_

"_Thank you, Mr Lane"_

_Facing Bruce, a seven year old Lois understood his sadness. They both had lived the pain of loss in different moments of their lives. And both of them knew she didn't need to say anything. Because nothing would change the fact that he had lost his parents forever._

_Sam Lane looked down to his daughter, and held her hand firmly. _

"_Let's go, Little Lo" he said._

_And while Lois and her father walked away, she turned around to look at Bruce once more._

_But Bruce wasn't paying attention. _

_END OF THE FLASHBACK_

----------------------------------------------------

Now, years later, Lois knew that since the night his parents passed away, he'd never been the same again.

"What do you mean?" Clark asked. "He seems just fine to me... In fact, _your friend _reminds me of someone we both know--"

Confused, Lois faced Clark.

"--and what's more," he continued, "I thought arrogant billionaries weren't your type--"

Lois smiled.

"Again, Smallville? Who do you think you are to say that? Besides, Bruce isn't like Lex--"

"Okay, Lois" he said, not interested in hearing her defending him once more.

"No. You need to know" she protested. "Bruce doesn't care about money or power"

Clark couldn't stop thinking how much Lois cared about Bruce, and how much this affected him.

"But there are some things I've heard about him--" Clark suddenly said.

"What things?" she asked.

"Well, uh... he's an irresponsible and inconsequential playboy. That's it. I said it!"

Lois laughed.

"What?" Clark asked. "He's always causing trouble. He doesn't care about anything!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Lois protested.

"Maybe" he agreed. "But I don't trust him"

"I can't believe I'm hearing this from you, Smallville. You're the guy who always sees the best in people--"

"Lois"

"He's a good friend of mine and everybody has dark secrets"

"Lois"

"Give him a break, Smallville. People have their weaknesses"

"Lois"

"I think you're confused because of your own experience with Lex, but you have to believe me--"

"Lois!"

She stopped and faced him:

"What?"

"Forget it" he said.

Then, Lois smiled.

"You'll see. He may be dark and mysterious, but he has a good heart. He's just a little lost--"

"Lost?" Clark repeated.

_He didn't seem to be lost_, Clark thought, remembering the way that Bruce looked at Lois.

"Okay, let's get something straight" Lois continued.

"Lois, I don't want to hear this--"

"No. You have to" she replied.

"There's something I didn't tell you about Bruce--"

_Oh no_, _she would say it, _Clark thought._ He didn't want to know that! If he could just fly away from there! He didn't need to hear they were lovers!_

"He's had some hard times" she finally said.

Clark wrinkled his forehead, confused.

_Okay. Hard times. Everybody had hard times. So, why does that make him so special to Lois?_ Clark wondered. _And why he was being so obsessed with Lois' feelings about Bruce?_

"His parents were killed" she explained.

Shocked, Clark couldn't hide his shame for thinking badly of Bruce.

"It was tragic. It happened in front of his eyes. When he was a little boy"

"Oh..." Clark said, perplexed. "I didn't know that"

Clark felt guilty for judging the young Wayne. Perhaps, his flirts with Lois were blinding him. And that was another thing he didn't understand.

"Of course you didn't" she said.

"What?" he asked, lost in his thoughts.

And before Lois could say something else, Bruce appeared.

"It was Rachel. On the phone" he said, approaching them. "She's coming"

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4 **

"Good!" Lois said into her cell phone. She was alone in the library of Bruce Wayne's mansion, or so she thought. "And are there any reservations available?"

When she turned around, she saw Clark next to the door, approaching her.

"Oh. Okay. Call me if you find out something else" she said, trying to break the conversation off after realizing that Clark was hearing it.

When Lois turned the cell phone off, Clark crossed his arms and looked firmly at her:

"Reservations?" he asked, distrustful.

Lois was checking her cell phone calls, and Clark rolled his eyes.

"Aren't you going to tell me what's going on?" he insisted.

"Where are Bruce and Alfred?" she asked back, dodging his question.

Clark took a deep breath. _Lois was amazing_, he thought. _How could she do that? She has never answered his questions!_

"It seems your friend Rachel arrived. She's in the kitchen with Bruce. I don't know about Alfred" he answered, pretending to be indifferent.

"Oh" she said, still checking her calls. "So, she's here, huh?"

"What did Chloe find out?" Clark finally asked. "And what reservations were you talking about?"

"She's going to try to find out everything we need to know about the Lucchesis business in Gotham" she answered.

"And if we find out their connections here--"

"We can discover who contracted The Duchess" she finished.

"Oh. A plan. Good to know we finally have one" he said, cynical.

Lois rolled her eyes, and faced him with a little smile: "Why are you being so irritating, Smallville? I mean, I know you're often irritating, but since we arrived here you've been acting like a jerk!"

Clark wrinkled his forehead, confused, and asked: "Me? What are you talking about?"

"C'mon, Smallville" she said, looking him straight in the eyes. "as much as you didn't want to come, I didn't want you here. Trust me. But the fact is, we _are_ here and we _have_ to solve this situation"

"Good point" he replied, irritated at her implications. "And, for your information, I'm _trying _to do something here but it's very hard when you don't tell me the _truth_!"

"Okay" Lois said, crossing her arms, and glaring at him. "Tell me. What do you want to know?"

Confused, Clark didn't know what to say at first,but before Lois could take advantage of the situation, he answered:

"What are we going to do while Chloe investigates the Lucchesis connections in Gotham?"

"Well, considering that the _bad guys_ may have discovered that I'm not The Duchess, and that they may have contracted another professional killer who just may be around, I think we have to pretend everything is fine and not let Bruce go anywhere alone" she answered.

"Do you want to know what? I think we should have called the police to solve this since the beginning" he said. "Did you read the news? Gotham is a very dangerous town, Lois!"

"And did you forget what happened that night in Suicide Slum, Smallville? Those guys are mobsters! We don't have a choice"

"We don't even know who's behind of all of this" he replied.

"That's why we have Chloe. She's doing her part right now" Lois said.

"What about Wayne Enterprises?" Clark suddenly asked. "I mean, don't you think the _bad guy _might be someone who doesn't want Bruce coming back to lead the vast Wayne Empire?"

"I don't think so. Bruce is not interested in managing the family businesses, at least not right now. And the company is under the direction of a man named Earle, I guess, and it seems to be in good hands" Lois answered confidently.

"And what about this other guy... Joe Chill?" Clark asked.

"Well, that is something to think about, Smallville" she answered, thoughtful. "Bruce said he's going to get out of jail tomorrow. And there's this strange deal he made with the District Attorney--"

"So, do you believe--?"

"I don't know, Smallville. But if Chill is involved, something is going to happen _during _or _after _his hearing--"

"With many people around" Clark continued, following Lois' thoughts.

"I think there's someone who might help us" Lois said, smiling.

"Who?" Clark asked, confused.

"Come with me, Smallville!" she said, going out of the library.

"Wait a minute, Lois!" Clark protested, as Lois stopped and turned around to look at him. "What reservations were you talking about?"

Lois smiled. "Oh, didn't I tell you? We're going to spend the night in Gotham!"

"WHAT?" he asked, while Lois left him alone with his indignation.

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"Rach!" Lois said with a big smile when she met her old friend with Bruce in the kitchen.

Clark was right behind her, and watched the girls exchange a big hug.

"Hey, Lois!" she answered, with the same enthusiasm.

Bruce, who was next to Rachel, also smiled. But he was visibly distressed.

"How long has it been since we've seen each other?" Lois asked.

"I don't know, but it's been too long." Rachel answered. "And what brings you here to Gotham?"

"Well, I was around, and then I decided to come and pay a visit to my old friends!" she answered, and then, turning to look at Clark, she said: "Oh, I almost forgot... Rachel, this is Clark Kent. Clark, this is Rachel Dawes"

"Is he your boyfriend?" Rachel asked, giving a gentle smile to Clark.

"No!" Lois and Clark said at the same time, surprising both Rachel and Bruce.

"No... We're just friends. Isn't that right, Clark?" Lois asked, giving him her usual punch on his arm.

Rachel smiled, and turned to look at Bruce.

"We were talking about the days when we used to steal candy milk cans from the store-room" Rachel said, pointing to the closet.

"It was a long time ago" Bruce said, smiling, but distant.

"Yeah... Until the day when Alfred found out and moved them to another secret place" Rachel finished.

Lois smiled, but she and Clark both figured that Rachel and Bruce weren't talking about the candy milk cans before they came to the kitchen. There was something else. And it was probably related to Joe Chill's hearing.

"I think we have a lot of catching up to do, don't we?" Lois aked.

Clark rolled his eyes. Definitively, he wasn't interested.

"Well, I'm sorry Lois, but that will have to be postponed for another day... I have to go now" Rachel finally said, surprising them.

"Oh, it's a pity!" Lois said.

"Yeah. I know" Rachel said, smiling, and looking at Bruce. "I'm really sorry, but I have a lot to do--"

"Rachel is the District Attorney's assistant" Bruce explained to Clark.

"Oh... Really?" he asked.

Rachel nodded, and Clark finally realized she was the person whom Lois was refering to minutes before in the library.

"Well, now I really need to go--" she said, glancing at Bruce once more.

"Thanks for coming, Rachel" Bruce said, and Rachel smiled at him.

"Clark, nice to meet you" she said, looking at him. Clark just smiled back. "Lois--"

"I follow you out to your car" Lois immediatly said. "I'll be right back, boys. It's a girl's talk" she explained with a smile.

Then, there were only Clark and Bruce in the kitchen. And the silence.

"Isn't she amazing?" Bruce suddenly asked to Clark.

Clark wrinkled his forehead, confused, and asked: "Who?"

Bruce smiled.

"You're don't really want to be here, do you?" he asked.

"Well, actually--" but before Clark could finish the sentence, Alfred came from the garden.

And the butler acted as if they weren't there and started to prepare a tea.

"I'm a little dislocated" Clark confessed, in the same instant he felt uncomfortable making that important revelation. He considered the young Wayne as a rival, even though he didn't know exactly about what.

"I knew it" Bruce said. "I'm not being a good host. And I'm sorry about this. This is a very complicated week for me" he explained.

Then, the butler glanced at Bruce, with concerned eyes. Clark realized that he was talking about the hearing of his parents' killer.

"I didn't mean to say that--" Clark said.

"So, what did you mean?" Bruce asked.

Clark smiled, annoyed: "Forget it. It's not important."

"Oh. Is it something related to Lois?" Bruce asked, with a little smile as he crossed his arms against his chest.

"No!" Clark said, embarrassed. "Of course not!"

Then, Bruce smiled knowingly at Alfred, who also smiled back at both of them.

"She's bossy" Clark said becoming increasingly defensive.

Bruce just kept smiling, amused at Clark's negative words.

"She's stuck up, she's rude. I can't stand her" Clark continued, trying to prove his point.

"The best ones always start that way" Bruce said.

Clark looked at Bruce then to Alfred, not responding.

-------------------------------------------------

"Lois, you have to convince Bruce not to go to the hearing" Rachel said, as they were approaching her car.

"For what reason?" Lois asked, hoping to hear something important from Rachel that may help her to find out who wanted to kill Bruce.

"He's not ok with it." Rachel answered, concerned. "He doesn't accept the fact that Joe Chill is going to go free--"

"I know" Lois said.

"Can you believe he was banished from Princeton?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah. He told me" Lois nodded, crossing her arms.

"He said he doesn't need a diploma to be an international playboy" Rachel explained. "Can you believe that?" she asked.

Lois smiled, and then Rachel smiled too.

Then suddenly, Lois wasn't smiling anymore.

"Rach, may I ask you something?"

"Sure"

"It's about the deal your boss made with Joe Chill... What is it about?"

"Well, in prision he shared a cell with Carmine Falcone. He learned things and he'll testify in exchange for early parole" Rachel answered.

"I understand" Lois said, thoughtful.

"But Bruce doesn't" Rachel replied. "That's why you have to help me to help him"

Lois nodded. "You can count on me, Rach. I'll try to talk him out of going to the hearing"

"It's going to be very painful for him" Rachel said.

Lois agreed, and as Rachel got into the car, she wondered if she dared to ask her about Chill's connections in Metropolis. But Lois knew she couldn't do it. Rachel was the District Attorney's Assistant. As such, she would probably put things in police hands, and they would never find out who the man was behind all the dirt. Then, Rachel smiled through the window and said: "Take care" as Lois stood waving to her while she drove away from Wayne's mansion.

To be continued...

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	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

"Bruce, there's something I need to talk to you about" Lois said upon coming back to the kitchen where Bruce and Clark were now sitting at the table while Alfred served them some tea.

Clark wrinkled his forehead, surprised and wondering if Lois would finally tell Bruce the entire story about the Lucchesis and The Duchess.

"What's up?" Bruce asked.

"Well," she started, looking at a distrustful Clark "I think you shouldn't go to Joe Chill's hearing tomorrow"

Bruce just smiled.

"I see that Rachel put some ideas in your head, huh?"

"No. It's not about Rachel--" Lois replied, firmly.

Suddenly, Clark's cell phone started to ring, and both Bruce and Lois stared at him.

"I'm sorry" he said embarrassed, picking it up. Then, he saw in its display that it was a call from Chloe. "Excuse me, it's my mom" he lied, standing up and going to the garden to have a private talk.

"Hey mom!" he said loud enough to be heard. "How are you doing?"

"Mom?" Chloe asked smirking, at the other end of the line.

"I couldn't talk in there." he explained, turning around to make sure he wasn't being overheard.

"How are the things with the hottest billionaire in the world?" she asked.

Clark smiled disdainfully. As if it wasn't enough to see Lois and Bruce's flirts, now he had to hear Chloe's jokes too.

"I just have one thing to say... I don't know how you convinced me to come" he answered.

"I didn't convince you, Clark. I just suggested you and Lois could work together, considering you two made a great team at Suicide Slums. But tell me... How hard are things there?"

Clark turned around to see Lois and Bruce talking and saw her gently putting her hand over his on the kitchen's table.

"You have no idea" he answered.

"I'm sorry" Chloe said.

Then, there was a small silence, and Clark finally asked: "Why did you call? Did you find out something interesting?"

"I have good news to tell you" she answered. "On second thought, it's not so good. In fact, I have good and bad news to tell you... What do you want to hear first?"

"C'mon Chloe, we don't have time for this" he answered, impatient.

"Fine, are you ready? Carmine Falcone has some enemies in Metropolis" she finally said.

Confused, Clark raised an eyebow.

"Okay. So what's the point?" he asked.

"I think there's a good chance that Joe Chill is involved in Bruce's murder attempt" she explained.

"I still don't quite understand" he said.

"A contraband shipment had arrived in Metropolis some weeks ago. A month to be more specific. Everything indicates that Falcone is the man behind all of the dirt. But all the merchandise was dumped in the Hobb's Bay. It was news for a week. Metropolis authorities have never found out who was behind it. I investigated the story deeper and I found out something else--"

"What?" Clark asked.

"Something quite similar had happened last year in Gotham. An abandoned and empty truck that was registered in Metropolis was found in the Narrows. Two days later, two unidentified bodies were found in the Finger River"

"How do you know the two incidents are related?" Clark asked.

"It's very simple. The truck was registered in the name of a deceased person--"

"A name used just to hide the real person responsible for the shipment" Clark said, following Chloe's reasoning.

"Right. In the weeks that followed, Gotham had the biggest number of drug trafficking cases. Gotham's District Attorney had tried to find out some connection between the abandoned truck with the help of Metropolis authorities, but Gotham's police closed the case"

"That really doesn't prove anything, Chloe" Clark said.

"Can't you see, Clark? Gotham authorities simply quit the investigations when Falcone's name appeared. Can't you feel something wrong? The strongest against the weakest? The power of money?"

"No place can be _that_ dominated by crime" Clark replied, convinced that not even Gotham and its bad reputation could be like that.

"Well, Clark, I'm sorry to say this, but I disagree with you" Chloe said.

"Okay. So let me get this straight. Who's Falcone's enemy in Metropolis? The Lucchesis?" Clark took his chances.

"Um. The thing is that I have no idea who it could be. The Lucchesis are only the middleman, the go-between." Chloe answered.

Clark took a deep breath and turned around to see Lois and Bruce still talking in the kitchen.

"And what was the good news?" he asked.

"That was the good news" she said.

Confused, Clark raised both eyebows. "What did you say?"

"But wait!" she asked. "Before you hang up on me, even though I know you'd never do something like that, after all, Clark Kent is the most mild-mannered person I've ever met--"

"Chloe"

"--there's something that can still helps us"

"And now we have the bad news--" he said.

"Um. More or less. Let just say that there's something that _only you _can do" she finally said.

There was a brief silence on the line, and before Chloe could asked if Clark was still there, he asked: "Like what?"

"Good. Here's the thing... Gotham's District Attorney has a report with all the phone calls made by Joe Chill in prison--" Chloe said and before she could finished it, Clark interrupted her:

"No. No way" he said, wondering what she was planning. "I can't do that! Trespassing Luthorcorp limits is one thing, but a public building, and even worse, a Judiciary one--"

"C'mon, Clark! This is the only way we can find out who Joe Chill's contact in Metropolis is. I'm pretty sure he made a deal with someone over here to testify against Falcone. The Lucchesis are probably involved, but they're not at the top. There's someone else. Someone bigger. And only by accessing his calls we can have a name!"

"Chloe, if the Lucchesis are intermediate we'll only find calls from Chill to them" Clark deduced.

"We'll only be sure of that after seeing his phone calls' list" Chloe insisted.

Thoughtful, Clark wondered if he didn't have any choice. He turned back around again to see Lois and Bruce were still talking. Chloe was right. There wasn't another way to help Bruce. And he had to do that.

"Okay" he finally said. "I'll call you later"

Clark turned the cell phone off and looked at again at Lois and Bruce. They were so involved in their discussion that they'd never notice he was gone. Then he used his super speed and simply disappeared.

To be continued...


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

"District Attorney's Office. District Attorney's Office" Clark repeated while searching the phone book for the address. "Here!"

When he looked up, he saw he was next to a bar called My Alibi. Determined, he went inside to ask the barman where Robinson Park was.

"You just follow this street, then you pass by the Clock Tower and you'll see the Lady Gotham. Then, you go two more blocks to your left" he explained.

Clark smiled. "Thanks" he said.

However, leaving would not be so easy. The barman called him back. "Wait!"

Confused, Clark turned back and looked at the man, and he asked: "You're not from around here, are you?"

As Clark looked around, he saw a tall man coming from the shadows of the bar. He seemed to be a security guard. From the other side of the place, another man came in his direction too. There were two police officers sitting at a table in the back of the bar drinking some beer. They just smiled while they watched the scene. Clark felt sure something bad was going to happen.

"Everybody knows that all information has a price in Gotham" the barman explained, with a smirk.

"What do you mean?" Clark asked. He couldn't believe he was hearing that. No place could be that bad. Not even in Suicide Slums had he heard of a situation like this.

"You heard it, big boy" the man said, taking a baseball bat from behind the bar.

"I don't want to cause any trouble" Clark warned.

"Me neither" the barman replied, with a smile still on his face. Suddenly, both the security guards took Clark by his arms and dragged him back to the bar. "So, open your wallet, pal" he ordered.

Clark looked at the table where the two police officers were talking aloud, but they simply ignored the situation, and didn't do anything about it.

"What kind of a place is this?" Clark asked, shocked.

"Gotham City, my friend" the barman said, while the guards examined his pockets.

Then, Clark decided he couldn't waste any more time letting these goons get the better of him. He pulled both security guards forward with his strength, sending them flying across the room. Perplexed, the barman walked back, letting the baseball bat fall down to the floor. The police officers imediatly stood up and put their hands on their guns. But they didn't remove them from their belts. Shocked, they just faced Clark and then looked at the security guards who had fallen down on the floor.

Astonished, the barman said: "Wow! You're good!" Clark just stared at him and didn't say anything. "I wish I had someone like you working for me... What do you think about it?" he smiled, not afraid of what Clark could do.

But Clark didn't do anything. He turned back to see the police officers sitting back in their chairs, while they raised their glasses to him in a toast. He shook his head. He couldn't believe what he had seen. Gotham was definitely a city without law. With that thought, he left the bar.

Finally outside, he could still hear the voice of the impressed barman, commenting on what had just happed to his latest customers. So, when Clark saw there wasn't anybody in the streets, he just used his super-speed and simply disappeared.

* * *

Seconds later, Clark arrived at the District Attorney's Office in the middle of the city. It was night. He sped through the office doors, right past the vigilant cameras and security guards without being seen. He used his x-ray vision and saw there was someone in the next room. It was Rachel Dawes. She was sitting at an office desk with open files and some books around her.

Silently, Clark entered the main District Attorney's office, and using his x-ray vision he searched for Joe Chill's file. But there was no sign of it. Next, he examined Rachel's office. The file was with her. She was probably studying the case for the hearing. After all, she was the DA's Assistant, Clark remembered. He took a deep breath and wondered if there was anything else he could do.

Suddenly, he heard a noise and saw that Rachel was getting ready to leave. Following her moves, Clark saw her putting on her coat and picking up all the files from her office desk. Surprised, he saw she was coming to the room where he was.

Rachel opened the door to the office and put the files in her boss' desk. As she was turning to leave, she had a strange feeling, as if she was being watched. She turned around to see something, but there wasn't anything unusual there. She shook her head, afraid she was becoming paranoid.

When Rachel turned the light off and finally left, Clark emerged from behind an archive and imediately went to the desk where she had put the files. Joe Chill's file was right on top. Clark sat at the desk and read all the documents as fast as he could until he finally found the prison's registers.

There wasn't anything special, since all the visits that Chill had in prison were from his mom. But before Clark could think about giving up, he found out something more interesting. Chloe was right, he thought. There were registers of all his phone calls from prison. And two of them were to Metropolis. Clark examined all the notes and the list of calls again, and became convinced that they happened at the exact time when Chill started to talk with the District Attorney about a deal. However, he still couldn't figure out how all this related to Bruce's murder attempt.

Suddenly, his cell phone started to ring. "Chloe?" he whispered after seeing the identification in its display. "What are you doing? I told you I'd call--"

"Sorry Clark, I couldn't wait... Did you find out something?" she asked.

"Well, I have two different Metropolis' telephone numbers that Chill called from prison"

"I knew you'd get it. Tell me." Chloe asked, taking notes.

Clark told her the numbers and while he continued checking the files, Chloe investigated the numbers.

"Um. One of these numbers you gave me is listed at the same address as the Lucchesis Suicide Slums' deposits you and Lois went to" Chloe said.

"And what about the other one?" Clark asked.

There was a silence, while Chloe did the search, then she finally said: "This is weird"

"What?" Clark asked.

"It's the phone number of a law office at Glenmorgan Square--" she answered.

"In the name of who?"

"A man named Maxwell Jensen" Chloe said, confused.

"Great. It just keeps getting better and better, huh?" Clark said, wondering if he'd have to go to Metropolis to investigate that guy too.

"Wait a minute" Chloe asked, after made a search on the web. "It seems Maxwell Jensen is a successful lawyer who always appears in periodicals--"

"What do you mean?" Clark asked.

"He works for Bruno Mannheim" she said, reading an article.

"Do you mean Bruno 'Ugly' Mannheim?" Clark asked.

"Exactly" she confirmed. "Boss Moxie's son--"

"The Intergang chief" Clark concluded. "Everything makes sense now, Chloe... Chill will testify against Falcone because he didn't just make a deal with Gotham's District Attorney but also with Mannheim, who is probably Falcone's enemy in Metropolis"

"Yeah. But you know that there's still a blank here, don't you?" Chloe asked, thoughtful.

"I know..." Clark said, following her thoughts. "What's the relation with Bruce Wayne in all of this?"

"I'll keep searching here, Clark" she said. "Maybe there's something we missed."

"Do you think I should go back to Metropolis to find out something about this Maxwell Jensen?" he asked.

"No. I don't think it's a good idea. We don't have much time. How would you explain all of this to Lois?"

Suddenly, Clark heard some steps coming from the corridor and used his x-ray vision to see who it was.

"Chloe, I have to go" he whispered, after seeing that it was he night watchman.

"Okay. I call you later"

Then, the night watchman opened the door, and turned the light on. But there wasn't anything unusual in room except for the opened window.

* * *

Seconds later, Clark was back at Bruce Wayne's Mansion.

"Hi Alfred" he said, when the butler opened the front door.

"Evening, Mr Kent" he replied with a generous smile.

And before Clark could come up with something to say about his absence, the butler said: "They're in the living room. I will show you in."

"That's not necessary, Alfred" Clark said, politely. "Just show me where it is"

Indifferent, the butler pointed: "Follow this corridor, turn to your right and then go straight ahead. You can't miss it."

Clark smiled. "Thanks" and before he left, the butler said:

"By the way, Miss Lane decided that you two will stay the night here in the mansion instead of going to a hotel"

Clark raised an eyebow. "She decided, huh?" but he didn't like the idea.

"I prepared your bedroom next to hers. It's at the west side. Third door of the corridor of your left" he pointed.

"Thank you, Alfred" Clark said.

"You're welcome, sir" the butler answered, leaving.

While Clark walked throught the long corridor into the living room, he wondered how many rooms there were in the mansion. Strangely, something ocurred to him. How well did Lois know this place? After all, she and Bruce seemed to have been friends for a long time. So she had probably come here many times. And maybe they were more than friends. Clark took a deep breath. That was a strange thought. Could he be not only jealous of Lois, but of her past too? He'd probably have to think about all of this before they returned to Metropolis.

Finally, Clark saw a room illuminated by a fireplace. Many things would probably happen before they returned to Metropolis, he thought. Bruce was still in danger. And he didn't have any idea how to tell Lois about the things he and Chloe had discovered. At least, they had found out something that could help them. But he was afraid that it wasn't enough.

Clark's next thought was a morbid and not entirely dismissable possibility that he decided to keep to himself. What if Bruce Wayne was involved in some crime? What if he was as corrupt as almost all of the people of that dark city? He could be working with Mannheim or maybe Falcone. That could be a good reason for someone try to kill him. After all, Bruce was a very mysterious and shady man. And no matter how difficult Bruce's childhood was, people could still be surprising. Clark solemnly remembered Lex, and how his ex-friend was always surprising him lately. Maybe Lois was wrong. Maybe Lex and Bruce weren't so different. Clark's real concern now was about Lois' feelings and how much she'd suffer if that proved to be true.

"You don't understand, Lois... I have to go to the hearing" Clark heard Bruce saying to Lois, realizing that she had been unsuccessful in her attempt at getting him not to go to Joe Chill's hearing.

"I see" she replied, with soft and amiable voice. "But you know even better than I do, that it won't bring them back, Bruce"

"You're a good friend, Lois" he said. "You always know what to say" Clark listened intently with his super-hearing, thinking about his last words. "And you know me better than anyone. Maybe better than Alfred... So, you know I have to go" he insisted.

"I'm very concerned about all of this, Bruce" she said. "Going to he hearing will only increase the enormous wound in your heart"

"I have to face him... Once more" he replied.

"I just hope you don't have in mind what I think you have" Lois warned.

Bruce smiled. "Lois... You don't have to worry about anything. I believe in justice" he said, darkly.

"Good. Because there's a great different between justice and revenge. Do you know that?" she asked.

Bruce smiled, and placed his hand gently in Lois' face, who closed her eyes with his gesture and inclined her head to the side. He definitely wasn't interested in talking about that subject anymore.

"OK, if it makes you feel better, I won't go to the hearing" he said. "We can watch it from here on TV"

"Would you do that?" she asked, with a smile.

Bruce nodded. Then, he approached her and she hugged him affectionately. Clark saw everything with his x-ray vision and something happened to him. Clark felt a deep pain in his heart. And he finally knew the truth. The truth of what was really happening to him. He was in love. With Lois Lane. And she was there, with that dangerous and mysterious man he didn't trust. His blood boiled. He couldn't believe it. He had to do something.

"Hey guys, I'm sorry I was gone so long." Clark said, entering in the living room, making Bruce and Lois jump to opposite ends of the sofa where they were sitting.

"Smallville?" Lois asked, surprised, while he crossed the room.

"I was very anxious to see the Lady Gotham statue" he said, coming close to sit on a sofa next to them, without taking his eyes off of either one. "I heard that it looked like the Statue of Liberty in New York--" and only moving her lips, Lois asked him: 'What are you doing?', but Clark ignored her and kept speaking: "And what a surprise when I saw they really are quite similar!" he smiled. "Except, of course, for the band on the eyes and the shield... By the way, have you ever seen the statue, Lois? It's very beautiful, isn't it?"

Lois wrinkled her forehead, and looking at Clark and then at Bruce, she said: "Well, of course I've seen it, Smallv... I mean, Clark"

Confused, Bruce smiled at both of them.

"So you decided to take a tour through Gotham by yourself?" she asked, trying to hide her embarrassement. "You could have waited. We could have gone together. The three of us--"

"Lois is right" Bruce finally said, still surprised at seeing Clark so talkative. "I could have showed you the best places in Gotham. We could have taken the train"

"Oh no" Clark said, looking at Bruce then to Lois. "I didn't want to bother you. You seemed to have alot to talk about and, although I appreciate the company and the hospitality, I like to check out new places by myself" he concluded, smiling and looking at them both.

Bruce smiled, with both hands resting on his knees, looking intently into the fire in the fireplace. It was pretty obvious to him what it was going on there.

"Don't hate me guys, but I'm very tired" he said, standing up, wondering if those two needed a moment by themselves, since it was almost possible to see the sparks in the air.

"It's early, Bruce" Lois said. "And things are just getting amusing here—" she added, giving a cold look at Clark, who only gave her a cynical smile.

"I can see that" Bruce agreed, looking at her and then to Clark. "But I'm really tired. So, what do you think about going out tomorrow morning? The three of us could do something different like play tennis. What do you think?"

Clark wrinkled his forehead. Play tennis? he thought.

"I'd love it" Lois said, smiling, not taking her eyes from Clark.

"Well, if you need anything, you can call me or Alfred" Bruce said, kissing her on both cheeks. "By the way, did he show you your bedrooms?"

"Sure" she answered. "The same as always"

Bruce turned back to look at Clark, and asked: "Clark?"

"Everything is fine. Thanks" Clark answered, with a smile, and still facing Lois.

Bruce crossed the room, and before leaving, turned around to look at them once more. Then, he left with a smile.

Alone, Lois and Clark exchanged a look full of sparks. They had a lot to talk about.

To be continued...


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

"I want to hear everything. From the beginning" Lois demanded, crossing her arms and facing Clark firmly.

"I don't know what you mean, Lois" Clark said, raising his eyebows, pretending he didn't know what she was talking about.

In fact, he hadn't yet thought a way of telling Lois about his and Chloe's discoveries involving Falcone and Mannheim. And he wondered if he should really tell her about it.

Lois smiled. "You're a good liar, Smallville. But you have to be really good to deceive me. So, tell me, where have you been? And what did you find out?"

"Lois, I really decided to take a stroll into town" he answered, calmly.

Clark didn't want to lie to Lois. She didn't deserve that. On the other hand, he didn't want to involve her anymore in dangerous situations. And things were becoming even more complicated since he and Chloe had found out that Bruce's murder attempt could be related to a Metropolis and Gotham Mafia.

"You're definitely hiding something from me" she insisted. "Do you really think I believed that crazy story of yours? A tour… in Gotham? Give me a break, Smallville! I saw how sleepy you were when we drove through the city earlier today"

"I'm sorry, Lois, but I don't know what you mean" he kept lying.

Lois raised an eyebow. "Okay. No problem" she said, taking her cell phone from her pocket.

"What are you doing?" he asked, worried.

"I'm simply calling Chloe and she's going to tell me everything" Lois answered, confident.

"But Lois… He isn't even going to the hearing anymore" Clark said, referring to Bruce.

"Were you listening in on our conversation?" Lois asked.

"Of course I wasn't!" he said, readily.

"Um. Okay. I'll pretend I believe you. But you're wrong if you think that Bruce won't go to that hearing" she said, looking at the mobile's display then putting it next her ear to wait for Chloe's answer. "He lies as much as you, Smallville. And neither one of you can fool me"

Clark gave a nervous smile. Lois' persistence was not only surprising him, but it was also putting him in an even worse situation . And he didn't know what to do.

"Hello?" Lois asked. "Oh, she already left? And she forgot her cell phone? Um. Okay. Thank you. Good night"

"What happened?" he asked when Lois turned the cell phone off.

"Today is your lucky day, Smallville. You and Chloe are together in this and you don't want to tell me what's going on... That is what happened" Lois answered, irritated, while she searched for her cousin's dormitory telephone number in her cell phone contact list.

Clark took a deep breath. He couldn't do it anymore. It was impossible to keep lying to Lois. So, he decided to do what he believed was the best thing.

"Falcone has an enemy in Metropolis" he finally said.

Lois glanced at him, and stopped searching for Chloe's telephone number.

"And it seems both of them have been sabotaging the each other's businesses for a long time" he concluded.

"Do you mean Mannheim?" she asked.

Surprised, Clark raised his eyebows. "How did you know?" he asked.

"I have my ways of finding out things too, Smallville" she explained.

Confused, Clark added: "It seems that Chill contacted a man named Maxwell Jensen, who's supposedly the lawyer for this Metropolis guy"

"And Chill agreed to testify against Falcone if Mannheim ordered somebody to kill Bruce" Lois added.

"Wow. I think you already know everything, Lois. Did you talk with Chloe?" he asked, perplexed about Lois' conclusions.

Lois smiled. "No. I didn't talk to Chloe. But it makes sense, doesn't it?" she asked, walking through the living room.

Clark listened to her intently:

"If Joe Chill fears somebody, and Falcone is probably not this person, I can only imagine he _really_ fears the only survivor of the Wayne family--"

"Bruce" Clark said.

"That's right" Lois pointed. "Chill's probably afraid of some kind of revenge. And knowing that Bruce would be in the city for the hearing freaked him out"

"But he's not smart enough to plan something big like this" Clark deduced.

"Of course he's not" Lois agreed. "Wanting to get Falcone out of his way, Mannheim discovered that Chill shared the cell with him, and started to convince to him to make a deal" she concluded.

"Um. It makes sense" Clark said. " But revenge? Do you really think Bruce is able to do something like that?" he asked.

Lois smiled. "Of course he's not, Smallville! I don't have any doubts that the prim and proper Mannheim put into Joe Chill's weak head the idea that Bruce could want to avenge his parents' death just to make him to testify against Falcone"

"Chill called twice to Metropolis from prison--" Clark added.

"How do you know that?" she asked, surprised.

"Well, I, er, huh--" he stuttered, not knowing how to tell her that he trespassed in the DA's file cabinet.

"That's okay. It doesn't matter" she said, more interested in concluding her reasoning. "The fact is that, fearing a retaliation of the only survivor of the crime that placed him behind bars, Chill decided to make the deal Mannheim asked for, a deal with the DA to deliver Falcone--"

"And in exchange for this, Mannheim contacted somebody to eliminate Bruce" Clark added.

Lois nodded and took a deep breath. "How did you?--" Clark asked.

"Deduction, Smallville" Lois said. "And that's what's going to happen tomorrow, before or after the hearing. Under the searchlights. And then Mannheim would show all his power even though he's not in Gotham"

"Now we have a good reason to call the cops" Clark said, concerned.

Lois smiled. "Right. And where is the proof?" she asked. "Don't forget that even if they were arrested the Luchesis would never say they work for Mannheim. And we don't even know where the murderer will be"

Clark didn't say anything, but he agreed.

"The only thing we can do for now is try not to let Bruce go to the hearing" she repeated.

Thoughtful, Clark didn't say anything. No matter how hard Lois was convinced that Bruce was in danger, and no matter how hard he could really be, Clark still didn't trust him. And he was still worried about how Lois would feel if she discovered that the young Wayne could have caused everything that was happening to himself.

"What's wrong?" she asked, facing him.

"Nothing" he answered, not taking off his eyes from hers.

"Good. Because it's late and tomorrow is going to be a long day" she said, crossing the room to the door, while Clark watched her. "By the way, do you know where your room is?" she asked. "Because I don't want you to accidentally come barging into mine."

Clark wrinkled his forehead and didn't answer that. But before Lois could leave, he called her: "Lois, wait!"

She turned around to face him, and he said: "I need to know something"

"What?"

"Well, I, er, huh--" he started, not sure if he should really ask it.

"Say it, Smallville!" she asked, impatient.

"When we finally solve this situation..." he said, without knowing how to finish the sentence.

And Lois raised an eyebow, distrustful. "Is there something wrong?"

"It seems that you and Bruce have unfinished business to discuss" he finally said, not sure what he was doing. "So, I don't want to get in your way--"

"Smallville!" Lois protested, smiling and approaching him.

Clark smiled a nervous and confused smile. Then, he wondered if maybe he shouldn't have said that because Lois'd probably come with some of her sarcastic commentaries.

"Are you jealous?" she asked, still smiling, and wrinkling her forehead.

"Off course I'm not!" he immediatly said.

Clark suddenly felt like he wasn't sure of what he had said. And he finally knew he was lying to himself. Clark simply didn't understand what was happening to him. Jealous? Over Lois? How did that happen? When did that happen? As if the complexity of the problem was not enough, with this whole situation involving mobsters and murder attempts, there was also that increasing feeling for Lois that was simply knocking him off his feet. And why Lois? he asked himself, still keeping his eyes on her.

"Do you know what? You almost had me going there..." she said, smiling. "You're a good friend, Smallville... but sometimes you annoy me with this over protecting thing of yours. I think it's time for you to find someone to fall in love with and leave my personal life out of your business"

Clark also smiled, confused. Maybe he had already finally found that someone. "Sorry, I just don't..."

"You don't trust Bruce" she interrupted. "I know" she said, firmly convinced that not trusting in Bruce was Clark's biggest problem. "You don't trust him as much you didn't trust in AC and lots of other people. But people can always surprise you, Smallville" she warned.

Clark nodded. And while Lois kept talking, he approached her and raised his hand to her face and, almost touching her cheek, he deviated slowly for her hair, plucking off a tiny tree leaf that must have been there since they had come back in from the garden.

Lois saw the leaf in Clark's fingers and looked at him in surprise. For a moment, she had thought he would do something else. But she smiled wondering about the possibility, that was as absurd as as it was insane.

"That's it, Smallville" she said, with a smile, but she was still skeptic about her fertile imagination. "Let's go get some rest... we have to wake up early in the morning"

Then she turned and walked away, still confused, leaving Clark alone with his thoughts.

To be continued...


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

Later that night, after thinking about everything that had happened that day, especially discovering his feelings for Lois, Clark decided to get some rest. But as he went up the stairs where Alfred had said his bedroom was, he heard a noise coming from the other site of the corridor.

Slowly, he approached the door where the noise came from and used his x-ray vision to see Bruce opening a suitcase which had clothes in it. He then took a gun out from between the shirts and pants.

Surprised, Clark wrinkled his forehead. Then, he saw the young Wayne examining the weapon for a while and then putting it in the pocket of a coat that was on a nearby chair.

He was right, he thought. His thoughts about Bruce had been correct. The mysterious young man was planning something bad... And Clark had to do something about it.

* * *

The next morning, Clark stood a few steps from the bed where Lois slept deeply, and watched her for a while until the sunlight illuminated part of the bedroom.

He hadn't slept that night. After what he saw the night before, he was convinced that another cinereous day was beginning in Gotham and something had to be done.

Clark had to admit that he was jealous over Lois and Bruce's relationship, but he was still worried about her. He didn't want to know the truth about what her friend was planning to do. She didn't deserve to be hurt like that. Strangely, though, he didn't want to see Bruce get in trouble either. Because, Lois loved him. Clark took a deep breath while he remembered the way she had looked at Bruce... in a way she'd never look at him.

While he watched Lois sleeping, Clark knew his mind and his heart were in the right place. It was like he wasn't lost anymore. He knew exactly what to do. Not only about Lois. He finally understood what was happening to him... and why he felt himself so helpless around her. Now, everything made sense.

Suddenly, with his super-hearing, Clark heard a noise. It was Bruce Wayne's car leaving the mansion. He walked over to the window and saw that he was going to the hearing. He had lied, and even Lois knew that. And Clark knew his intentions.

He turned around and looked at her once more.

He wouldn't let Bruce get into trouble, if only because he didn't want Lois to get hurt.

* * *

"Dammit!" Lois said after she picked up her cell phone next to the bed to see the time, only to discover it was off because the battery had run down.

She jumped out of the bed and dressed as fast as she could, pulling on her clothes over the blouse she was wearing, wondering if the hearing had already begun.

Lois opened the bedroom door, clumsily putting on her boots while she walked to the top of the stairs. Fortunately, the majestical pendulum clock was one of the few objects in the mansion that wasn't covered by a white sheet. It was already past eleven o'clock.

"I can't believe this!" she said, infuriated, coming back toward the corridors of the second floor. "Oh... '_I'm really tired'_. '_What do you think about going out tomorrow morning and doing something different like play tennis_'?" she repeated Bruce's words with cynicism. "Yeah! Right!"

Stopping in front of Bruce's bedroom, Lois took a deep breath, hoping to find him there, and called him, beating on the door: "Bruce! Are you awake?"

But there was no answer.

"Bruce? C'mon! I thought we were going to play tennis!" she insisted.

Unsatisfied, Lois opened the door, and saw that the bedroom was not only empty, but his bed was also at least unmade. Then, she saw some newspapers on the floor. Confused, she approached to look at them. Picking up one of them, she saw it was a news article about Bruce's parents' death. She took another one and it was about Joe Chill's hearing.

"Oh no, Bruce... What are you planning to do?" she asked to herself, worried.

Then, Lois ran until the bedroom where Clark had spent the night:

"Hey, Smallville, wake up! We have to hurry!" she called, beating on the door, insistently. "Smallville? C'mon, I'm coming in..." she threatened, when she realized that there was no answer. "Too bad for you if you're not dressed" she added, opening the door.

Shocked, Lois discovered Clark wasn't there either, and his bed was also untouched.

"It can't be..." she said, wondering why Clark had left without call her. "All the men in my life are liars" she added, irritated, as she left the room, thinking that perhaps she had to catch one of Bruce's cars to go to the hearing by herself.

"Miss Lane?"

Lois turned around and saw Alfred holding a stack of folded clothes, which he was probably going to take to Bruce's bedroom.

"Alfred!" she said.

"Something wrong?" the butler asked, intrigued.

"I though you had gone to the hearing" she said.

"Actually, Master Bruce asked me to stay and prepare your breakfast" he simply said.

Lois smiled, confused and nervous.

"Alfred, we need to get to the Court" she finally said.

The butler faced her with concern, certain that Bruce was in danger.

To be continued...


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay, but this is a very important chapter. Thanks for all the feedback! And don't worry... there'll be more Bruce and Clark interaction in the next chapter!

**  
**

**CHAPTER 9**

Meanwhile, at Joe Chill's hearing, Bruce was sitting in the audience with frozen eyes. All his attention was focused on the man who ruined his life forever.

His thoughts were turbulent. But he knew, or at least he believed he knew, what he had to do. And it was exactly what he believed that would calm down his soul.

With eyes fixed on his parents' executioner, while watching him entering the Courtroom followed by guards, Bruce noted that he was very different from the night he pulled out from his life the people he loved most. Now, years later, with shaved beard and clean clothes, next to the pompous District Attorney Finch, and his Assistant Rachel, to the last member of Wayne's family, Chill was still a monster and the slag of humanity.

Bruce looked at the justice symbol above the wall, and gave a sad smile. It was like a stage play that wouldn't convince him, because it wasn't the justice in which he believed.

Suddenly, Chill stood up before the Judge after the ministerial petition's reading for his early release. Bruce continued looking at the one who had destroyed his life.

Meanwhile, after he had made a fast patrol through the external part of the Court, Clark appeared at the front door of the courtroom and saw the young Wayne in the audience. Quickly, he used his x-ray vision to discover that Bruce wasn't carrying his gun underneath of his coat, which was very strange. Clark wondered if he had hidden the gun in some place else or if he had given up he idea to kill Chill. Then, someone approached him:

"Is there something wrong, kid?" the police officer asked.

Clark turned too look at him. He was a mild-mannered man with a thick mustache and big eyeglasses. Clark read his ID badge: Sergeant James W. Gordon.

"No. Nothing wrong" Clark answered, quietly, looking again to where Bruce was, to be sure he hadn't seen him.

The hearing continued.

"I gather a member of the Wayne family is here today..." the chairman said, looking at the audience.

At that moment, Chill reacted, turning. Bruce studied his weathered face.

Clark wrinkled his forehead, wondering if Bruce was planning to do something in that moment. But there was no sign of the gun he had seen the night before.

"Does he have anything to say?" the chairman added, when he found the young Wayne's face in he middle of the audience.

Chill noticed Bruce's cold eyes and had to look away. Then, Bruce stood up and walked away, all eyes on him. Including Rachel's.

When Clark saw Bruce coming in his direction, he quickly walked away under the suspicious eyes of Sergeant Gordon. It was pretty clear to Clark that Bruce had given up his insane plan to kill Chill. On the other hand, he knew he was still in danger and his killer could be in any place. Then, he paid attention to all the movement around him in the Court's corridors.

As Clark walked back to the Court's front door, his cell phone started to ring. It couldn't be a worse time, he thought.

Bruce Wayne walked past him through the hallway and entered a bathroom. Surprised that he hadn't been seen by the billionaire, Clark took his mobile and kept his eyes where he had gone:

"Chloe?" he asked, while continuing to look at the bathroom's direction where Bruce was.

"Clark, things are worse than we have imagined!" she said.

"I don't have any doubt about that" he answered, seeing that the police officer still watched him. "Bruce came to the hearing…" he finally said.

"What?" she asked, surprised and worried. "Are you at the Court?"

"I followed him" Clark added.

"Oh... now that couldn't be worse" she said. "What about Lois?"

"She's not here. And she doesn't know" Clark said.

Then, Clark used his x-ray vision to see Bruce alone, in the bathroom, quiet, looking at the mirror, probably, wondering what to do.

"I have something to tell you" Chloe said. "Maxwell Jensen is dead"

"What?" Clark asked, shocked. "How did it happen?"

"I don't know. His body was found today morning at Hobb's Bay" she explained. "But the good news is that I arrived in his office before the police…"

"You did _what_?" he asked, perplexed and worried about his friend's safety.

"Hey... Don't worry, Clark. It wasn't a big deal. After all, it was easier than trespassing Luthorcorp security systems"

"What did you find out there?" he asked, looking at the Court's front door.

"Nothing" she answered. "Until I rummaged through his garbage…and just our luck, I found a piece of paper with a name that can help us..."

"What name?" Clark asked, looking at the other side of the street.

"The Grand Hotel" they said in unison.

"How do you know that?" Chloe asked, confused.

But Clark didn't know. He had seen it. Across the street, there was The Grand Hotel, and in a third floor window, he saw a person pointing a gun against the Court's front door.

"Chloe, I have to go" he said, turning the phone off.

"Clark!" she asked in vain.

Clark ran as fast as he could to the hotel.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bruce was in the bathroom. He continued looking at his face in fron of the mirror. Slowly, he took out a bundle that was under the sink. He opened it and there inside was the gun, where he had hidden before entering the courtroom. He placedthe gun inside his pocket and once more, he looked at his face in the mirror.

* * *

"Can't you go faster?" Lois askedAlfred a few blocks away from the Court.

"I'm sorry Miss Lane, but I can't. It's the traffic!" he answered, overwhelmed.

Lois looked again at the streets. The cars weren't even moving in the main avenue. She calculated they couldn't be so far from Robinson Park, judging from what she recognized of those streets.

Determined, she opened the car's door and said:

"Don't take it personal, Alfred, but I'll meet you there!"

The butler turned around to see Lois running between the cars and, confused and stunned, he could only imagine that Bruce was in danger.

* * *

Without being seen on account of his super-speed, Clark crossed the entry hall of The Grand Hotel and went up the stairs to the third floor. Stopping in front of the bedroom where he believed the shooter was, he used his x-ray vision, but there was nobody in that room.

Confused, Clark examined the next bedroom. A woman was next to the window, holding a rifle.

With a small kick, Clark opened the door and entered abruptly, surprising the shooter, who suddenly turned around holding the rifle, and started to shoot him.

Clark easily deflected the bullets. Quickly, he ran into the shooter's direction, pulling the weapon from her hands.

Shocked, the shooter faced him, then turned to run away through the door, but with a small touch of his index finger to her forehead, Clark made her fall unconscious.

Clark bent down on his knees next to the shooter and examined her pockets. There was no wallet or any identification of who she was. But he deduced that she was The Dutchess. He finally found her cell phone in one of the pockets of her leather jacket. Attempting to discover something, Clark noticed there was a call from the same telephone number in Metropolis that Chloe discovered had been Maxwell Jensen's. It was probably his last call before being murdered. And maybe, she was his murderer.

Clark stood up and walked over to the window, where he had a clear view of the Court.

Many reporters were crowded in the hall of the Court while Joe Chill left the hearing room. Not very far away, there was Bruce, who observed everything. The young billionaire was standing with both hands in the pockets of his coat, and he now concealed a gun.

As fast as he could, Clark, who saw everything, tied up the shooter with the ropelike tiebacks of the curtain of the hotel's bedroom and went back to the Court.

However, seconds later, when Clark stopped behind Bruce, something happened:

"Joe! Hey Joe!" a blonde female reporter called out.

Everybody looked at her, when she suddenly took a gun from her coat:

"Falcone says 'hi'!" she said before shooting it point blank against his chest.

As shocked as Bruce, Clark couldn't do anything to avoid it. It was too fast, and too unexpected.

Police officers came from everywhere to take arrest the fake reporter. But it was too late for Chill. He was dead.

Fifteen feet away, Bruce kept the loaded gun up his sleeve. His face was as uncomprehending as it had been the night Chill killed his parents. Rachel moved to Bruce, pulling him away from the chaos.

"Come on, Bruce. Come on, we don't need to see this" she said.

Bruce yanked his arm away.

"I do" he said, keeping his eyes onJoe Chill's dead body.

Clark took a deep breath, and sure that there wasn't anything else to be done there, he moved away. Looking back across the street, there was another movement in front of The Grand Hotel. He noticed that the shooter who he had immobilized instants before was now being arrested by some police officers. One of them was Sargeant Gordon.

Wondering if the entire situation was now under control, Clark decided to go back to the mansion and face Lois' anger for not being awakened in time for the hearing, when he suddenly saw her appearing at the door of the Courthouse.

Without noticing him, Lois ran into the hall until where Bruce was, while Clark observed them from behind some pillars.

"Rachel!" the District Attorney Finch called.

Rachel looked at her boss and then at Bruce, who was still too shocked to say anything.

As Rachel moved away from Bruce, Lois approached him.

"Bruce?" Lois said, looking around and seeing Joe Chill's corpse being covered.

But Bruce didn't say anything. Then Lois stood directly in front of him to have his attention.

"It's over" she said, while their eyes finally met each other.

Some tears appeared in Lois' eyes and she hugged him affectionately.

With his face buried in Lois' hair, Bruce continued to look at Chill, sure that justice had finally been made.

A fews meters away, Clark took a deep breath, trying not to be hurt at seeing how much Lois loved Bruce. Slowly he left the building to wait for them outside, when his cell phone rang again.

"Chloe" he said, quietly.

"Clark! Whathappened? I read the Internet news! Who shot Chill? I hope it wasn't who I think it was..."

"No, Chloe. Everything's fine" he said, quietly, looking back to see Lois and Bruce, still embraced.

"No matter what happens, I will be always here for you" Clark heard Lois whisper to Bruce.

"Things are a little complicated here, Chloe. I'll call you later, okay?" he said, trying not to show her what he was feeling right that moment.

"Clark, I..." Chloe said, but it was too late. He had hung up on her. Again.

Slowly, Clark crossed the street, amid the confusion of police, press cars, and people conglomerated in front of the Court and The Grant Hotel. He took a deep breath one more time, completely ignoring the media circus that was now taking place in Gotham. He decided to go back to Smallville on his own. Just walking. Without his super-speed. After all, no one else needed him, and there was a lot to think about during the trip home, mainly about his feelings over Lois.

Meanwhile, Lois perceived something was wrong. She walked away from Bruce and lookedaround, noticing something strange.

"Where's Clark?" she asked, worried.

Bruce, who hadn't heard a word she said, just looked at Chill's body been carried to the ambulance, when Rachel approached them:

"Have you seen Clark?" Lois asked her.

"No" she answered, confused.

Lois continued to look around, visibly concerned.

"Bruce... let's get out of here" Rachel said, gently, while Lois walked ahead of them, looking for Clark.

"Where are you, Smallville?" she asked to herself, overwhelmed.

"Lois!" Rachel called, approaching her with Bruce.

Lois turned back to see them, and smiled, friendly, trying to pretend she wasn't worried about Clark's disappearance.

"I was thinking about taking a ride with Bruce" Rachel said, with the arm hooked in Bruce's. "Do you want to come with us?"

Lois smiled. They probably had a lot to talkabout. And Rachel was better than she was when the subject was Bruce. Anyway, Lois was too worried about Clark. So, she was sure she wouldn't be very pleasant company.

"No. Thanks. I'm gonna stay here for a while... I have to find my... I mean, Clark" she said. "And Alfred is on his way. Don't worry about me"

Rachel smiledand looked at Bruce, who was still completely afflicted with everything that had just happened.

Lois faced Bruce one more time, and remembered the day of his parents' funeral. The same expression. His past was all there. And she understood what may be passing through his confused and stunned mind, no matter how concerned she was about Clark.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Lois asked to Bruce, who now lookedher in the eyes.

He just gave her a little smile.

Then, Lois hugged him once more and had the strange feeling she wouldn't see him again for a long time.

"We'll talk later" she said.

Lois looked at Rachel and gave her a friendly smile. She knew Bruce was in good hands.After all, Rachel was the woman who loved him as much as she believed herself to have loved him once.

As Rachel and Bruce left, Lois continued to look for Clark, while the movement in front of the hotel on the other side of the street was still intense. She looked up and saw a third floor window of The Grand Hotel. There were some policemen examining the place. So, she wondered the person who wanted to kill Bruce could have been there. Worried about what could have happened with Clark, Lois ran as fast as she could, hoping he was fine.

* * *

Minutes later, Clark walked some blocks away, his thoughts dominated by conflicting emotions. Suddenly, he saw a familiar car crossing the street. It was Rachel's. Noticing that Rachel and Bruce were inside, and believing that the young Wayne was still confused and stunned, Clark wondered if something bad could still happen, so he decided to follow them.

To be continued...


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Notes**: My apologies for the delay. Thank you everyone for reviewing, I'm always grateful for the feedback.

* * *

**CHAPTER 10**

"Did he say where he was going?" Lois asked. She had called Chloe from the pay phone next to The Grand Hotel, where the entire situation involving Chill's death and The Duchess' arrest was almost normal. Alfred was a few steps from her, standing next to the Rolls Royce.

"No. He just turned the cell off and didn't say anything. I've been trying to call him back ever since, but it seems his cell phone is out of area..." Chloe answered, also concerned about Clark.

Lois took a deep breath and said: "Okay... The Duchess was already caught by police, so, I suppose there's no more danger, right?"

"It seems so..." Chloe agreed, looking at the news story on her computer's monitor displaying the breaking news on the Internet and opening a webpage with Regina Doomsdale's profile, also known as The Duchess. "Clark found her just in time..."

"Clark?" Lois asked, with a smile. "C'mom, Chlo! He's a total coward! He just disappeared and missed the whole party!"

Chloe gave a little smile in the other side of the line. "Sure" she said.

"So... you don't have any idea where he could be, do you?" Lois asked again.

"No, Lois" Chloe answered, confused about Lois' unexpected concern about Clark.

"Um. I'm sure he didn't go back to the mansion..." Lois said, looking at Alfred.

"Don't worry, Lois. Clark knows how to take care of himself" Chloe said.

"Me? Worried? About Clark? Huh! Yeah, right!" Lois said, smiling and pretending she didn't know what Chloe was talking about. "I'm not worried about the farmboy! It's just, well, you know... What would I say to the Kents if something bad happen to him?"

"I see that..." Chloe smiled.

"But I have to disagree with you about Clark knowing how to take care of himself... You didn't see him in Suicide Slum. If I wasn't there to protect him... Well, I already told you what could have happened..." Lois completed.

Chloe smiled. "Yeah. You told me. But I still believe that bad news come first, so, why don't go back to the mansion with Alfred and call me later?" she suggested.

"You know patience is not my strong suit, Chlo" Lois said, irritated with her cousin's calmness about Clark's going missing.

"I know it isn't, but do you have a better idea?" she replied.

"You don't understand..." Lois protested.

"Yes, I do. But there's nothing we can do for now. We don't even have a clue where he could be, Lo" Chloe said.

"Okay. Maybe you're right" Lois finally said in agreement.

"So, we talk later..." Chloe said.

"Wait!" Lois asked before Chloe could turn the phone off. "I just want to make sure you understand that I'm not worried about Clark"

Chloe smiled. "Lois, we talk later... Okay?"

"Do you understand?" she insisted.

"Okay, Lois. I understand" Chloe answered, convinced her cousine wouldn't let go.

Not satisfied about Chloe's thoughts about Clark's safety, Lois turned to Alfred.

"Is there something wrong, Miss Lane?" he asked, helpful.

"I think there's not too much we can do now..." she said, thoughtful. "Maybe we should go back to the mansion and make some calls"

Noticing Lois' affliction, the butler said, referring to Bruce: "Don't worry Miss Lane. He's fine"

Lois gave him a gentle smile: "I hope so" she answered, referring to Clark.

* * *

Later, when the sun had set, Clark had followed Rachel's car into the Narrows. When she parked next to filthy streets where shadowy figures conducted business in dark alleys, he wondered if they were looking for some trouble. They had stopped in front of a night club named The Basement. This was beyond being a dangerous neighborhood. Clark decided to use his super-hearing to find out what was going on.

"They all know where to find Falcone..." Rachel pointed at club and Bruce turned towards it.

At the same time, a few steps away, hidden in the shadows of an alley, Clark did the same thing. He didn't have any idea what they were doing there and just wondered that Rachel was trying to show Bruce.

"But no one will touch him because keeps the bad people rich and good people scared" she added. "And what chance does Gotham have when the good people do nothing?" she poked him in the chest.

"I'm not one of your 'good people', Rachel" Bruce said, looking down at her finger. "Chill took that from me"

Rachel looked at Bruce strangely. In the alley, Clark could see everything. Confused, he wondered if Bruce was planning to tell her what he almost had earlier that day .

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

Bruce pulled up his sleeve and turned his hand over.

Rachel stared at the gun in his hand, shocked.

"I was going to kill him myself" he revealed.

Rachel looked at Bruce still in shock. Then she slapped him, surprising Clark, who watched them from some distance. Bruce didn't do anything. In reaction of his not reaction, Rachel slapped him again and again... But there was nothing. And she stopped.

Tears flowed. "You're no better than the rest" she pointed at the gun and looked into Bruce's eyes. "Your father would be _ashamed _of you"

Bruce stared at Rachel. Her last words finally had some effect over him.

He opened his door and left.

Then, he watched Rachel's car disappear.

Not so far from where Bruce was, Clark kept his eyes on him, worried. When Rachel's car finally had gone, he watched as Bruce turned to stare out at the line of ships in the harbor. Making his way to the water, he took out his gun. Slowly, he turned it, studying the light reflecting off its metal. Clark wondered what he was planning to do, and realized that he was maybe remembering his parents' death and felt himself begin to understand how hard life must have been for this poor young rich man.

Then, Bruce, with contempt, flung his gun into the black water.

Confused, instead of being relieved with the young Wayne's attitude, Clark continued watching. He really didn't have any idea what he was planning to do, when he saw Bruce walking towards the entrance of the Basement Club.

A bouncer stepped out, looking at him with contempt.

"Get lost, kid" he said to Bruce.

Bruce pulled a massive wad of cash from his pocket and split it in two. Then, he offered the large man one half.

The bouncer looked at Bruce and took the money.

When Clark saw Bruce going into the club conducted by the bouncer, he decided to go inside too.

"Hey, who do you think you are?" another bouncer crossed his way.

Clark ignored him, and looked at the inside of the place, using his x-ray vision. He could see that the place was full of armed men and Bruce was approaching someone sitting at a table in the back of the club.

"Back off, kid!" the bouncer ordered, pulling Clark away.

Clark looked the man in the eye, and turned again to the club's interior. Not so sure how Bruce would react at seeing him there, he decided to wait outside, continuing to watch out for him, prepared to use his powers if necessary.

"The little rich kid" Falcone said, looking at Bruce. "No gun? I'm insulted" he asked, while a thug lunged at Bruce with a knife and checked his pockets.

"I don't need a gun" Bruce said, putting the knife down gracefully.

"Yes, you do" Falcone insisted.

The bouncer aimed at Bruce's head with his gun. Everybody in the place ignored the situation.

Clark once again approached the front door of the club, when he saw Falcone was laughing:

"Money isn't power down here. Fear is" the mobster explained.

The bouncer pistol whipped him once, hard.

Clark decided it was time to go inside to avoid the worst.

"Hey... I told you to back off, big boy!" the bouncer said, looking Clark in the eyes. Clark just gave him a simple push and he fell down the stairs, unconscious.

When Clark entered the club, he saw the first bouncer dropping Bruce's money onto him.

"You shoulda just sent me a thank-you note..." Falcone said to Bruce.

"I didn't come here to thank-you. I came to show you that not everyone in Gotham is afraid of you" Bruce replied, coldly.

Falcone laughed, and Clark watched everything, unsure if there was anything he could do. It seemed to Clark that the mobster didn't want to hurt Bruce. They were just talking. If that was the case, Clark knew that if he did something to seperate them, he would not only expose himself, but also put Bruce in real danger. So, he decided just to watch them from some distance.

"Hey" the barman called him.

Clark turned towards him.

"Do you want to drink something or what?"

Falcone was still laughing.

"You got balls, kid..." he said to Bruce. "But you don't belong down here with us. We don't play fair. Now go back to your big house, wrap yourself in your silk sheets and I'll send you a shoulder to cry on"

"You don't dress well enough to be a pimp" Bruce replied.

Falcone lighted a cigar and stared down at Bruce. He was no longer laughing.

"You miss your Mommy and Daddy?" he asked, coldly. "Come down here again, I'll send you to them" he added.

Falcone stand up and turned, followed by his thugs. Clark looked the other way to avoid being seen by the criminals, while the mobster left the club. When he turned back toward Bruce, he saw the bouncers taking him by his arms and leading him out of the place.

Clark stood up and left the club too.

Outside, Falcone and his thugs got into the limo and Bruce watched it slide into the night. Struggling to his feet, Bruce walked down the docks, wiping blood from his mouth. Shadows in doorways marked his progress.

Bruce looked around suspiciously. He had the strange feeling he had been followed since the the incident at the Court. But there didn't seem to be anyone suspicious around.

Three youths approached and he stiffened, but they crossed the street to avoid him.

"No one'll mess with ya" someone said to Bruce.

Bruce turned and saw a homeless man warming at a flaming oil drum. He was just one of many homeless clustered around the docks.

"Wanderin' 'round here dressed like that, means you got something to prove" the homeless man said, while Bruce approached him. Clark remained in an alley and watched them some steps away. "Man with something to prove is dangerous" he finished.

Bruce stared at the man. Thinking. He took out his wallet and removed the money. Then, he handed it to the homeless man.

"For what?" he asked, confused.

"Your jacket" Bruce answered, dropping his wallet into the fire.

Confused, Clark wrinkled his forehead, wondering what the young Wayne was planning to do.

The homeless man laughed while Bruce pulled off his tie, and threw it into the fire too.

Seeing that he was serious, the homeless man accepted the money and pulled off his coat as soon as he could. When he saw that Bruce was almost throwing his overcoat into the fire too, he interrupted him:

"Lemme have it, that's a good coat"

Bruce looked at the homeless man, and they exchanged clothing.

"Be careful who sees you with that" Bruce adviced him, and when the homeless looked at into his eyes, confused, he explained: "They're gonna come looking for me"

"Who?" the homeless man asked, worried.

Bruce smiled.

"Everyone" he answered.

Less incongruous in his "new" coat, Bruce moved down towards the stacks of containers, when he suddenly heard someone calling him:

"Wait!"

It was a familiar voice.

Bruce turned around and saw someone emerging from the shadows.

"Clark?" he asked, surprised and confused.

Clark stared at him, and Bruce looked around as if he was searching for someone.

"Don't worry..." Clark said.

Bruce looked at him.

"She's not here" he explained, referring to Lois.

Bruce gave him a little and sad smile, relieved that Lois wouldn't see him in that situation. And it was not only about the homeless man's coat he was dressed in. It was about the biggest mistake of his life he had almost made.

"She doesn't know what happened at the Courthouse either" Clark added.

Distrustful, the homeless man moved away from them.

Thoughtful, Bruce stared at Clark.

"So, who are you, Clark?"

"A friend" Clark answered.

Bruce smiled, still confused.

"I wonder if you can understand what I'm going to do" he said, as sure of himself as he had been when he thought that killing Joe Chill was the best thing to be done.

Clark raised his eyebows.

"Running away is not going to help..." he said.

"Who says I'm running away?" Bruce replied, with an enigmatic smile.

Clark took a deep breath. The young Wayne seemed to know exactly what he had to do. And for the first time, Clark wasn't worried.

They heard a horn blaring, and their eyes locked onto the ship preparing to leave.

"Could you do me a favor, Kent?" Bruce asked him, turning and looking Clark in the eye. Clark assented with his silence. "Take care of Lois" he asked.

Clark didn't move. The request was totally unexpected.

"I will" he said, firmly.

Bruce smiled and ran towards the ship trough the shadows, leaving Gotham.

After all his turbulent thoughts over Bruce, Clark didn't know how to react to that. He realized that Bruce wasn't a total bad guy. He wasn't lost anymore, at least, for a while. Strangely, Clark knew he shouldn't try to stop him from leaving. It was like it was his destiny. Clark had the feeling they would see each other again. But he smiled a sad smile, wondering if they would be the same people when that day came.

To be continued...


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Okay guys, I'm very very sorry for the delay of this but I had some problems to finish it and I didn't find someone else who could be my beta reader for the final chapter. It's not beta readed, so any suggestions are welcome! I hope you ejoyed the story! I don't have plans to write a sequel. At least, not for a while. **

**CHAPTER 11**

_Daily Planet, two days later..._

Chloe was reading The Gotham Globe through the Internet, when Clark arrived. "Did you want to see me?" he asked as soon as she looked at him above the monitor.

"Did you hear what happened to Regina Doomsdale?" she asked back.

"She goes to be under safekeeping of the Federal Authorities and Bruce Wayne's murder attempt doesn't go to be investigated by Gotham's authorities since they didn't find out any evidence of what she was doing in that hotel room, despite the sophisticated weapon she was carrying that day" he said. "And it's all my fault. If I have called a police officer to go to the hotel with me-"

"Maybe Bruce wouldn't be alive" she completed. "But it doens't matter anymore" Clark wrinkled his forehead as Chloe added: "Bruce Wayne disappeared"

"Oh... really?" Clark asked, showing surprise.

"Yeah. He simply left Gotham and people don't know where he can be"

"Strange..." he said.

"Very strange" Chloe agreed. "But not as much as this..." she said looking at her computer screen. "Regina Doomsdale is dead"

"What?" he asked in shock.

Chloe showed him The Gotham Globe website and Clark read the fresh news while she explained: "She was murdered by another female prisioner at Blackgate's prision in Gotham City little before being transferred to a federal arrest"

"It can't be..." he said. "Bruno Mannheim?" he immediately suggested.

"I don't know who else can be behind of this..." Chloe answered.

Clark took a deep breath.

"But... we still have Maxwell Jensen's connection. Is it something, right? And maybe Metropolis' authorities can put the hands in Mannheim after they find out that his agreement with Joe Chill is related to Bruce's murder attempt-"

"Too late. Mannheim was faster. Metropolis Homicide Department concluded that Maxwell Jensen was in Suicide Slum for drugs and was supposedly murdered by his drugdealer" she said.

"'_Supposedly murdered_'?" repeated Clark.

"That's what police report says. Now the case is closed" she added. "And there isn't anything that can connect Regina 'Dutchess' Doomsdale to Bruno 'Ugly' Mannheim except their fancy nicknames-" Chloe said, wrinkling her forehead.

"And Mannheim will still be free" Clark added.

"But if this serves of consolation, I don't think that The Duchess would give Mannheim's name to the federal authorities because of her reputation of not to deliver the name of her contacts..." Chloe said.

"If Mannheim is as Falcone, he'll probably continue to be unpunished, especially after what I saw in Gotham..." Clark said.

Chloe wrinkled the forehead, confused.

"I didn't know that Gotham City would affect you so much" she commented.

Clark faced her in the eyes. She didn't have any idea of how much the city of the shades had affected him.

"We shouldn't leave men like Mannheim does whatever he wants in Metropolis and the rest of the world as much as Falcone does in Gotham" he said, remembering the colloquy between Falcone and Bruce at the club in Gotham.

Chloe didn't say anything for a while, as she didn't know what to say. She could only have in mind that her friend had lived bad moments in Gotham, until she finally said, trying to comfort him:

"For now, there's nothing we can do, Clark. But I'm sure that some day they will pay a price and they will be catch, 'cause there still are good and decent people decided to do something about it"

Quiet, Clark hoped his friend was right, after all, he could never imagined how much crime could corrupt an entire city until he met Gotham. And he remembered Bruce's gesture when he throw the weapon away at Gotham's Bay, and faced the reality of his city. There still were good people. And Bruce was one of them, he thought.

* * *

_Later, in Smallville..._

Lois was thoughtful looking throught the window of her apartment in the Talon, when she heard somebody beating the half-open door. She turned over to see who was, and noticed that it was Clark, who smiled to her, holding a branch of flowers.

"I wish I could come before but..." then he noticed some made bags next to the sofa. "Are you leaving?" he asked, worried and surprised.

"I'm going to spend some days with the General" she said coldly, while Clark extended the lilles to her. "For what is this?" she asked, looking at the flowers.

"My apologies for leaving Gotham without saying anything" he answered.

Lois smiled. It was her first smile since he was there, but nor therefore it was her more pleasant smile. She was visibly bored. And Clark wondered it was because of Bruce's disappearance.

"Don' be silly, Smallville!" she said, smiling and giving him her back, ignoring the lilles while she walked until the balcony of the kitchen to serve herself some coffee. "You don't need to give me excuses"

"But I-"

"I don't even know why I decided to go there with you!"

"I thought it was Chloe's-"

"Look!" she said, while Clark listened her intently.

There was a long pause, and Lois finally said:

"Okay. I'm going to say it and I hope you don't get me wrong"

Confused, Clark wrinkled his forehead as she added:

"I was very worried about you, okay?" and Clark gave her a little smile. "But take this smile out of your face, Smallville" she added and he simply became serious. "You disappeared and... well, I thought we were a team! At least, it was what we had to be..."

"But we are a team, Lois" he corrected her.

"I don't know anymore... You played dirty with me, Smallville. Starting for the fact that you had wake me up in the morning of Chill's hearing instead of making everything by your own"

"I'm sorry, Lois" he said.

Clark smiled again, and without understanding that smile, Lois rolled her eyes, while drank some coffee.

"Did you really worry about me?" he asked.

Lois chokeed with the coffee and placed the mug on the table. Then, crossed her arms and looked at him.

"Of course I was, Smallville!" she said. "It's pretty obvious, don't you think? After all, what would I say to Mrs Kent in case of something had happened to you?"

Clark smiled. The defensive Lois in action, he thought.

"Only after I went back to the Wayne mansion Chloe, and at least she was the one who had common-sense to call me, gave me some satisfactions that you were fine and everything was right at the Court... except for Joe Chill, of course" she completed, catching again the mug of the table.

After a long silence, Lois looked at the drink, while Clark faced her with attention and curiosity.

"What?" she asked, noticing him.

"Nothing" he answered.

Suddenly, Lois felt that she had said too much to Clark, and decided to move immediately the subject:

"Alfred called me this morning" she said.

Sure, Clark thought. Lois was still worried about Bruce. After all, she loved him.

"Did he say something about Bruce?" he asked.

Lois smiled.

"Yes. He called to Alfred to say he was fine and that he doesn't have any idea of when he will come back" she answered.

Clark nodded, sure that it wouldn't be soon, judging for the way he left.

"I think he won't come back so soon" she added, as she had read Clark's thoughts.

"I don't have any doubt of this" he agreed.

She faced him, distrustful.

"Do you know something I don't, Smallville?"

"No. Not at all" he answered.

But Lois continued to look at him, not satisfied.

"Did he at least say where he is?" Clark inquired.

"No" Lois answered, with a lost look. "And I don't have any idea where he can be..."

Clark took a deep breath, while watched Lois' concern about Bruce.

"That night, at Wayne mansion, you said that you only has Bruce as a friend..." Clark said, confused, but decided to take his chances. "Are you sure about it? After all, I see you, and the way you worry about him-"

Lois smiles.

"Sometimes I think you know me better than anyone and this is something that makes me really mad. But then you say something like that..."

Confused, Clark gave her a little smile. She didn't asnwered his questions, as usual.

"If I didn't know you, I'd say you're jealous" she added.

"What?" he asked, surprised.

"Okay, Smallville... you don't need to blush. I was just joking! After all, this is an insane possibility!" she said, smiling.

And Clark smiled. She didn't have any idea of how much she was certain about it.

"Well, the truth is... he was my best friend when I needed" she said with serenity, while Clark watched her intently. "And he will always be... a good friend"

She smiled and Clark approached her and touch her in her shoulder.

"He will be fine"

"Of course he will" she said, walking away. "He's just... a little lost" she admitted.

"But I'm sure he's still one of the good ones" Clark added.

Lois smiled. Although she didn't understand what he wanted to say with that, she felt that it was the most comfortable thing somebody could say to her at that moment. And while she looked at Clark, she felt a peace in her heart that she couldn't understand.

Feeling confused for that reaction, Lois shook the head, and approached to Clark to take the flowers and walked until the sofa. Clark turned over to see her and was surprised when she threw against him the heavy bag.

"Let's go, Smallville!" she ordered on her usual bossy way. "Help me to take the bags to the car!"

Clark wrinkled his forehead, and while he followed her until the door, he asked, curious:

"How long do you plan to be out?" he asked, as Lois turned over to see him in the eyes.

"I haven't already left and you're planning to celebrate, Smallville?" she inquired.

Clark smiled.

"Well... I was wondering if I will have much time to celebrate" he lied.

"Don't create expectations, farmboy" she said, smiling. "You won't be free of me for so long"

The Lois of always, he thought. And he couldn't wait for the moment she would be back.

**The End**


End file.
